January 7, 1991 The autumn rainstorm in Arkham was the chill drizzle in Boston that delayed Karen's connection to Atlanta for hours.January 7, 1991 The autumn rainstorm in Arkham was the chill drizzle in Boston that delayed Karen's connection to Atlanta for hours. In her faded Levis and a light blue tee, Karen Eliot was hardly outstanding among the business women rushing to and fro in the passenger concourse; at least in terms of wardrobe. Her bright green eyes and flaming locks were enchanting. With no makeup but lip gloss, her gentle beauty radiated warmth. Within moments of finishing the action/adventure novel Karen felt the creep of incipient boredom. Tired also of endlessly listening to the ten cassettes that she carried, she clicked the walkman off. Karen slipped her paperback and walkman into her backpack. Noting that the departure board still announced delay, she set out for the lounge. Not particularly interested in rebuffing pickups, Karen steered for a table where several women drank boisterously. She fit right in with the Marines who were swapping stories. Karen loved their "There I was..." yarns. She drank several rounds with the service bitches before her turn to regale them with wicked tales of bobbing and weaving as a consultant. Karen sported a nice glow when her flight was announced. She quickly swapped sounds with the corporals before heading for her plane. The boarding crew apologized for the lousy weather that prevailed along the eastern seaboard. They didn't apologize for the sardine-can conditions in the little airliner. Apparently most of Karen's ninety-some fellow passengers suffered from advanced B.O. Disembarking in Atlanta occurred not a moment too soon. Although she'd missed the flight to Los Angeles, her mixed luck held. She was accommodated on another L.A. flight that had been delayed by a squall line. Karen sat at a midships port-side window in the TriStar. The air conditioning, which was effective for nearly four hundred sweating bodies, overwhelmed the mere handful of travelers seated within Karen's sight. Karen set her chess computer aside, marveling that the manufacturer had the guts to rate it at 2100. Diversions finally exhausted, she prepared to consider her pressing problems. |